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Another Chinese Product Recalled

Another Chinese-made children’s product has been recalled due to safety hazards.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall of 169,000 pogo sticks made in China.

The recall comes after 123 incidents involving the product were reported, including facial injuries and busted teeth.

The bottom of the pogo stick’s frame tube can break or come apart and a pin holding the spring in place can break, posing laceration and fall hazards to consumers.

The China-made pogo sticks were sold in stores nationwide and online from May 2010 and March 2011 ranging between $25 and $40.

It is advised that consumers immediately stop using the toy and contact Bravo for a refund.

Pogo sticks are just the latest in a very long line of Chinese imports that were found to either be defective or contain toxic chemicals. Many of the products were marketed and sold specifically to children.

In the latter half of 2007, over 25 million children’s toys manufactured in China were recalled after they were found to be contaminated with toxic amounts of lead.

In November, Chinese imports of drinking glasses featuring characters from comic books and Disney movies were forced from the shelves after it was discovered they contained high levels of lead and Cadmium.

Cadmium has been known to hinder brain development in small children. The substance, which the Center for Disease Control and Prevention ranks as the seventh most hazardous material in the environment out of 275, has also been linked to cancer and lung, kidney and bone problems.

In January, Chinese-made children’s charm bracelets and pendants sold across the country were pulled off shelves after it was discovered they contained dangerously high levels of cadmium.

Even in the face of all that, Republicans have tried to block funding for the USCPSC. They are resisting efforts to create a publicly accessible database that would allow consumers to search for and find public complaints about product safety.

They claim that it will increase the cost of doing business in America by forcing manufacturers to fight frivolous claims constantly.

Under current American law, the claims are hidden from the public. The only way for an ordinary citizen to access those records is for them to file a public-records request. Even in those cases, the Consumer Product Safety Commission must first consult with the accused manufacturer before releasing the information.